This study investigated the removal of salicylic acid (SA) from aqueous solution by electro-Fenton (EF) and EF-like processes using graphite-graphite electrolytic system. Fe 0 , Fe 2þ , Fe 3þ ions were used as the Fenton reagent in the EF process and in the EF-like reactions, Cu 2þ , Mn 2þ , Ni 2þ were used as the same. The effect of various operating conditions on the effectiveness of EF process was investigated. The contribution of adsorption and electrosorption in the removal of SA was also investigated. According to the results, EF method can be used efficiently for the removal of SA by maintaining proper operating conditions. Fe 2þ was confirmed to be the most efficient catalyst among the metal ions that were tested. Maximum removal efficiency of 75.13% was obtained under optimal operating conditions after 8 h of electrolysis. Even though EF-like processes are also effective for the removal of SA from aqueous solutions, EF removal of SA was observed to be more efficient for the same. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of SA solutions electrolyzed at optimal conditions was carried out. Degradation pathway was proposed from GC-MS.